success maori ece may10

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Box 2799 Wellington Phone 04 499 2489 Fax 04 499 2482

[email protected] - www.ero.govt.nz

Success for Mori

Children in Early

Childhood Services

May 2010


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Education Review Office Success for Mori Children in

March 2010 Early Childhood Services

Contents

Executive Summary ....................................................................................... 1

Recommendations ......................................................................................... 2

Introduction .................................................................................................... 3

Methodology................................................................................................... 7

Evaluation framework ................................................................................... 8

Findings .......................................................................................................... 9

Responding to aspirations and expectations ................................................ 9

Questions to use in self review ................................................................... 16

Focusing on realising Mori childrens potential ......................................... 16

Questions to use in self review ................................................................... 24

Variability according to service type ........................................................... 25

Improving provision for Mori children in early childhood services ............. 26

Conclusion ................................................................................................... 29

Recommendations ....................................................................................... 30

Appendix 1: Questions to use in self review ............................................. 31

Appendix 2: Sample of early childhood services ...................................... 32

Appendix 3: Percentage of Mori children enrolled in sample of early

childhood services ...................................................................................... 33

Appendix 4: Glossary .................................................................................. 34

Appendix 5: Report feedback form ............................................................ 36


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Executive Summary

Improving educational outcomes for Mori learners is a key priority for the education

sector. The focus of current education strategies is to improve the way the education

system assists Mori learners realise their potential. Early childhood services have a

key role in building strong learning foundations to enable young children to develop

as competent and confident learners.

The majority of Mori children (76 percent)1

participating in early childhood

education do so in mainstream early childhood services. ERO evaluated the provision

of education and care for Mori children in 576 early childhood services, as part of

their regular education reviews during Term 4, 2008 and Terms 1 and 2, 2009. The

evaluation focused on the extent to which services:

responded to the aspirations and expectations of parents and whnau of Mori

children; and

focused on realising the potential of Mori children to become competent and

confident learners.

This evaluation follows an earlier study by ERO,Mori Children in Early Childhood:

Pilot Study, July 2008. It confirms some findings of the pilot study, in particular that

many services:

stated that they treated all children the same and lacked strategies that focused

upon Mori children as learners;

included statements about values, beliefs and intentions in centre documentationthat were not evident in practice;

did not use effective processes to find out about the aspirations of parents and

whnau of Mori children; and

lacked adequate self-review processes to evaluate the effectiveness of their

provision for Mori children.

One of the biggest challenges for early childhood managers and educators is to

understand, review and develop processes that enable them to listen, respect and

respond to what parents and whnau of Mori children expect of the service. Tomake such a commitment, early childhood services have to find out about parents

aspirations and expectations, and acknowledge and respond to these in authentic

ways.

ERO found that although most early childhood services had processes for consulting

and communicating with the families of children enrolled, less than half (41 percent)

were using such processes to identify and respond to the aspirations and expectations

1 See www.educationcounts.govt.nz /statistics/ece


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of parents and whnau of Mori children. For many the first step is to look at their

current processes for consulting and communicating with the parents and whnau of

Mori children and to review how well these processes are working.

Just over a third of services were focused on assisting M

ori children to becomecompetent and confident learners. However, in nearly two thirds of services, ERO

made particular recommendations for improving provision for Mori children.

Although many services implemented what they considered to be a bicultural

curriculum, the quality and relevance of this was variable. Managers and educators

did not yet fully recognise the importance of acknowledging Mori childrens cultural

identity and heritage.

This evaluation also raises questions about the links between implementing a

bicultural curriculum and reviewing its impact for Mori children. This is the next

step for services that already have strong bicultural curriculum. Reflecting on and

questioning the extent to which Mori children experience success as learners is part

of the challenge for managers and educators in early childhood services. The findings

of this evaluation indicate that many services have some way to go in working with

parents and whnau and enabling Mori children to become competent and confident

learners.

A companion report to this evaluation, Success for Mori Children in Early

Childhood Services: Good practice, March 2010 includes more detailed information

about what some services were doing to work in partnership with whnau of Morichildren, and to focus on Mori children as successful learners.

Recommendations

ERO recommends that early childhood services:

develop or review their processes for consulting and communicating with the

parents and whnau of Mori children so they can be more responsive to their

aspirations and expectations;

consider how effectively they integrate Mori perspectives in planning,

assessment and evaluation processes;

provide professional development and support for managers and educators to

increase their ability to work in partnership with the parents and whnau of Mori

children; and

strengthen self review to enable robust evaluation of the impact of learning

programmes for Mori children.

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education funded professional development

includes a focus on supporting early childhood services to be responsive to Mori

children and their whnau.


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Introduction

ERO evaluated how well early childhood services implemented processes that

enabled them to identify and respond to the aspirations and expectations of parents

and whnau of Mori children, and the extent to which they focused on realising

Mori childrens potential to become competent and confident learners.

Improving educational outcomes for Mori learners is a key priority for the education

sector. Current education strategies include a focus on improving how Mori learners

are given support to realise their potential. Early childhood education has a key role

in building strong learning foundations and enabling young children to develop as

competent and confident learners.

Education strategies

Education strategies specific to early childhood services and schools give priority to

improving learning outcomes, with a particular focus on Mori children.

The Ministry of Educations Mori education strategy Ka Hikitia Managing for

Success 2008-2012 outlines a framework of priorities, goals and actions with a focus

on improving the quality of early childhood experiences for Mori children and the

education services they attend. Ka Hikitia highlights the importance of children

developing strong learning foundations early in life. It notes that successful learning

in the early years is necessary for achieving at school and in later years. Ka Hikitiaseeks the best start in life and education for Mori children through:

participation in high quality early childhood education;

effective transition to school;

strong literacy and numeracy foundations; and

effective partnerships between home and service or school focused on learning.

The Mori Potential Approach described in Ka Hikitia provides a useful framework

for EROs evaluation. The three key principles are:

Mori Potential: all Mori learners have unlimited potential.

Cultural Advantage: all Mori have cultural advantage by virtue of who they are

being Mori is an asset.

Inherent Capability: all Mori are inherently capable of achieving.

Requirements of early childhood services

The requirements for licensed and chartered early childhood services at the time of

this evaluation were set out in the Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations

(1998), and in charters that included theRevised Statement of Desirable Objectives


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and Practices, 1996 (DOPs).2

The DOPs include two guiding principles which

require services to:

work in partnership with parents/whnau to promote and extend the learning and

development of each child who attends or receives the service; and

develop and implement a curriculum that assists all children to be: competent and confident learners and communicators;

healthy in mind, body and spirit;

secure in their sense of belonging; and

secure in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society.

Regulation 32 (c) of the Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations requires

the licensee of a licensed centre to encourage children to become and remain

confident in their own culture, and to develop an understanding of and respect for

other cultures of Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Bicultural curriculum

The principles and strands of the early childhood curriculum, Te Whriki,3

set out the

framework for services to implement this bicultural curriculum. Te Whriki notes that

children should be given the opportunity to develop knowledge and an understanding

of the cultural heritage of both partners to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It states that

decisions about the ways in which bicultural goals and practices are developed

within each early childhood education setting should be made in consultation with the

appropriate tangata whenua (p.11).

EROs evaluation indicators

EROsEvaluation Indicators for Education Reviews in Early Childhood Services

refer to Dr Mason Duries goals for advancing education achievement for Mori to:

live as Mori;

actively participate as citizens of the world; and

enjoy good health and a high standard of living.4

Early childhood services can contribute to these goals by promoting Mori childrens

learning and giving them a sound start to life and to schooling. Services need to

2 Ministry of Education, Revised Statement of Desirable Objectives and Practices for Chartered Early

Childhood Services in New Zealand in The New Zealand Gazette, (3 October, 1996, No. 6379,

p. 3349).3 Ministry of Education, (1996). Te Whriki, He Whriki Mtauranga m ng Mokopuna o Aotearoa.

Wellington: Ministry of Education.4 Durie, M. (2001).A Framework for Considering Mori Educational Achievement,

www.minedu.govt.nz.


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consult Mori families and provide programmes that foster their aspirations and assist

Mori children to achieve to their potential.

Previous evaluation and research studies

EROs 2004 national evaluation report Catering for Diversity in Early ChildhoodServices concluded that, although most early childhood services recognised the need

to cater for the range of diversity in their communities, there was still room for

considerable improvement.

Two Ministry of Education research reports are relevant to this evaluation. The report

on Parental decision making in relation to the use of Early Childhood Education

services5

found the availability of culturally appropriate services was important for

parents of Mori children. These parents were also more likely to rate having an

educational focus as important, along with the expectation that the service would meettheir childs cultural needs.

The second report focused on the processes and outcomes of the Promoting Early

Childhood Education Participation Project.6 Known as PPP, this project was set up

to lift the participation of targeted communities (in particular Mori and Pacific) in

quality early childhood services. It found that having access to early childhood

education that supported Mori cultural practices and language was an important

factor for Mori families. The report noted that where services were not responsive to

whnau needs, early childhood educators might benefit from support in working with

Mori families.

The findings of two Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) research

projects carried out by Jenny Ritchie and Cheryl Rau - Whakawhanaungatanga-

partnerships in bicultural development in early childhood care and education (2006)

and Te Puawaitanga: Partnerships with tamariki and whnau in bicultural early

childhood care and education (2008) are relevant to this evaluation.

The first research project7

aimed to:

articulate how education settings other than khanga reo encouraged Moriwhnau to participate in the service; and

identify how educators were implementing their understanding of the Tiriti-based

commitments in the bicultural early childhood curriculum by delivering

Tiriti-based programmes.

5 Robertson, J. (2007). Parental decision-making in relation to the use of Early Childhood Education

services. Report to the Ministry of Education. Wellington: Ministry of Education.6 Ministry of Education, (2007)Evaluation of Promoting Early Childhood Education (ECE)

Participation Project. Dixon, Widdowson, Meagher-Lundberg, Arini and McMurchy-Pilkington.7 See: http://www.tlri.org.nz/pdfs/9207_summaryreport.pdf


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Participation in early childhood education

Mori childrens participation in early childhood services is changing. Data from the

Ministry of Education9 show that the percentage of Mori children enrolled ineducation and care and home-based services has increased while the percentage

enrolled in khanga reo and to a lesser extent in Playcentre and kindergarten has

decreased. Table 1 sets out the percentage of Mori children enrolled at early

childhood services as at 1 July 2009 compared with enrolments in 2001.

Table 1: Percentages of Maori Children enrolled in Early Childhood Services

Type of service % of Mori children

enrolled in 2009

% of Mori children

enrolled in 2001

Kindergarten 20 25

Playcentre 6 6

Education and Care 44 33

Home-based network 6 3

Khanga reo 24 33

See Appendix 3 for information about the percentage of Mori children enrolled in

each service type in this evaluation.

Methodology

ERO evaluated the provision for Mori children in 576 early childhood services. The

sample was representative of the national profile of service types.10

The data was

gathered as part of each services regular education review.

The percentage of Mori children on the roll of each service ranged from those with

all children identifying as Mori to those with no Mori children attending.11

Six

percent of the services had no Mori children enrolled. These services were not

included in the quantitative analysis shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4. However ERO

did find that some of these services had systems and processes in place to identify and

respond to the aspirations and expectations of parents of Mori children should they

enrol at the service.

9 http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/ece10 See Appendix 1 for information on service types.11

See Appendix 3 for information about the percentage of Mori children enrolled in each servicetype.


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Evaluation framework

The evaluation focused on two questions:

To what extent are early childhood services identifying and responding to the

aspirations and expectations of the parents and whnau of Mori children?

To what extent are early childhood services focusing on realising the potential of

Mori children to become competent and confident learners?

The following questions were used to guide the investigation:

How does the services statement of philosophy recognise and acknowledge the

values, beliefs and aspirations of parents and whnau of M

ori children?

How does the services vision/strategic intent (documented plans) reflect the

hopes and aspirations of the parents and whnau of Mori children?

To what extent have managers and educators developed responsive and reciprocal

relationships with parents and whnau of Mori children?

In what ways do teaching practices, including assessment, planning and evaluation

processes, take into account the aspirations and expectations of parents and

whnau of Mori children?

How inclusive of parents and whnau of Mori children are the services

communication and consultation processes?

How does self review of the services policies, objectives and practices contribute

to improved outcomes for Mori children and their parents and whnau?

Sources of evidence

ERO gathered evidence from:

meetings with teachers/educators at the service;

meetings with the manager(s) of the service;

observations of interactions between Mori whnau and teachers/educators, and

between teachers/educators and Mori children;

observations of the programme in action; and

documentation related to the operation of the service and to the learning of

individuals and groups of Mori children.


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Findings

This section includes EROs findings in relation to the two evaluation questions. It

also includes a discussion about the variation of performance identified by service

type and what services need to do to improve their provision for Mori children.

Responding to aspirations and expectations

What did ERO ask?

To what extent are early childhood services responsive to the aspirations and

expectations of the parents and whnau of Mori children?

What did ERO find?

Many early childhood services have processes to consult and communicate with the

families of children who attend the service. However, as shown in Figure 1, only 13

percent were highly responsive to the aspirations of the parents and whnau of Mori

children. Twenty-eight percent were responsive but needed to improve aspects of

their practice and 59 percent of services were becoming more responsive or were not

responsive.

Figure 1: Extent to which early childhood services are responsive to the aspirations and

expectations of the parents and whnau of Mori children.


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The services with 26 percent12

or more Mori children on their roll were more likely

to be responsive to the aspirations and expectation of parents and whnau than

services with fewer Mori children.13

The challenge for services was to understand the need to shift management andeducators thinking and practice from having processes for all children (and their

parents and whnau), to understanding the need to listen and respond to whnau

expectations for their children.

Where the aspirations and expectations of the parents and whnau of Mori children

were being identified and responded to, services did this through their:

statement of philosophy;

vision and strategic intent;

relationships with parents and whnau;

communication and consultation processes; and

self review.

Each of these areas is discussed in relation to EROs findings, supported by examples

of practice in individual services. A rationale is given for each area, drawn from

relevant guiding Ministry of Education publications, in particular Quality in Action:

Te Mahi Whai Hua. Questions that could be used as a focus in services self review

are included.

Statement of philosophy

Rationale

The written statement of philosophy expresses the fundamental beliefs, vision, values

and ideals by which a service chooses to operate. It provides the basis for decisions

on how the service is managed and should be reflected in the services day-to-day

practice.

Where a services philosophy reflects Mori values and beliefs, it contributes to the

services New Zealand identity and to a sense of belonging among Mori children

and their whnau.Quality in Action: Te Mahi Whai Hua. (pp. 60 and 62)

12 Differences in ratings between the percentage of Mori children enrolled were checked for statistical

significance using a Kruskal-Wallis H test. The level of statistical significance for all statistical tests in

this report was p


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In most services, philosophy statements were written for all children, with no specific

reference to values and beliefs for Mori children and their whnau. Although ERO

found that many services philosophy statements referred to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, only

a few made specific reference to what this meant in practice or included a specific

focus for Mori children.

In services with highly responsive processes, the philosophy was more than words on

a piece of paper. It was about how the documented values and beliefs were put into

practice on a daily basis. The principles inherent in Te Tiriti o Waitangi were

recognised and valued, along with a commitment to working in partnership with

whnau. Mori whnau were acknowledged as tangata whenua. Many services

included reference to the principles ofTe Whriki in their philosophy statements.

Others made reference to concepts and values such as ako and manaakitanga. In afew services, the philosophy was written in both te reo Mori and English.

!"

In some services, parents and whnau had been involved in reviewing the philosophy

statement through face-to-face meetings, informal discussions and more formal

feedback processes such as the use of surveys. Using a variety of ways to involve

parents gave them a choice about how they wanted to contribute.

Vision and strategic intent

Rationale

The whnau is a vital influence on the development of tamariki Mori. Management

and educators can take such an influence into account by consulting extended families

where appropriate.

All parents/whnau are empowered when they join with management and educatorsto develop a shared vision and assume shared responsibility for the learning and

development of children.

Quality in Action: Te Mahi Whai Hua. (p. 66)

The extent to which the hopes and aspirations of Mori childrens parents and whnau

were reflected in services vision statements or plans varied considerably. This was

not an area of strength, even in some of the highly responsive services.


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Teachers have established responsive and trusting relationships and open

communication with parents and whnau of Mori children. The foundation of these

relationships is based on a strong sense of whanaungatanga woven through

welcoming processes, centre programmes and teaching practices.Teachersencourage whnau to share their whakakapa and discuss their aspirations for their

children. Kindergarten

In a few services, management and teachers had made links with local iwi and/or had

the support of a kuia or kaumatua to advise management and educators on bicultural

practice and to share their knowledge of local history.

The centre has a kuia who comes on a weekly basis and works with the children and

teachers. Her involvement has led to strengthened relationships among the centre,

Mori parents and the wider community. Education and care centre

In some services, educators worked at developing relationships with all parents, and

did not see the need to do anything different for the parents and whnau of Mori

children. In a few, relationships were not strong with any parents and this impacted

on the extent to which parents and whnau were involved and informed.

Developing and maintaining respectful relationships is crucial for services that want

to be more responsive to whnau aspirations and expectations. The relationships

between managers, educators, whnau and children are central to an environment thatis both responsive to, and focused on, Mori children and their whnau.

Consultation and communication

Rationale

Consultation is the process of gathering information to achieve shared

understandings, goals and expectations that will inform decision making.

Mori methods of communication, consultation, and negotiation may differ from those

of other groups. To develop an environment that enables all to fully participate,management and educators can:

establish a dialogue with Mori to identify effective and culturally appropriate

processes for consultation and communication;

assess the services current practices and procedures to identify where changes

may be needed;

adopt a flexible approach to communication and consultation for example, by

being available to visit local marae; and

recognise that a variety of approaches may be required for communication and

consultation with local whnau, hap and iwi.

Quality in Action: Te Mahi Whai Hua. (pp 51-52)


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In many services, the strategies used for communication and consultation applied to

all parents. No consideration was given to finding out what worked best for whnau.

A one size fits all approach was taken to communication and consultation.

In services with highly responsive processes, consultation and communication were

underpinned by the relationship that managers and educators had with the parents and

whnau of Mori children. Consultation worked best when it was based on a mix of

informal and formal activities. Some services sought whnau views in a variety of

ways. Pre-enrolment processes were important in establishing initial relationships

and sharing information. Where services used surveys, it was important to act on the

findings rather than just going through the process of gathering information. In one

service a survey was designed specifically for the whnau of Mori children.

Teachers visit Mori parents and have a one-to-one consultation with them. These

are informal meetings to outline what the centre offers, what else parents would like

to see and if there is any way that parents might like to contribute. Teachers record

the results of consultation and use these for their future planning. One parent wrote a

letter to the teachers in response to their survey. She outlined what she wanted for

her child. Kindergarten

#"

"

"

Some services used the report of EROs 2008 pilot study as a catalyst for discussions

between management and educators and with parents and whnau of Mori children.

They used it to look at how they could improve consultation to find out about the

aspirations and expectations of the parents and whnau of Mori children.

Highly responsive services are more likely to work inclusively with the parents and

whnau of Mori children. However, being inclusive is not so much about singling

out a parent or whnau member, as about finding ways to include whnau, being open

to finding out how they want to express their views and being responsive to those

views.


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Self review

Rationale

Effective self review involves working in partnership with parents/whnau.

Management and educators can work towards a bicultural approach to self review

by:

consulting local Mori on effective ways to achieve such a partnership;

involving parents/whnau from the start;

consulting parents/whnau on the equity and inclusiveness of service programmes

and practices; and

ensuring review processes are culturally appropriate for example, it may be

necessary to attend hui for the purposes of consultation and reporting.

Quality in Action: Te Mahi Whai Hua. (p. 73)

Many services were establishing systems for self review. They were not yet ready to

undertake self review that looked specifically at the impact of their programmes for

Mori children.

Self review is in the early stages of development, understanding and implementation.

There was little evidence of how any self review of policies, objectives and practices

directly contributed to improved outcomes for Mori children. Education and care

centre

In services that were engaging in self review, the focus was often on evaluating

bicultural provision, in particular the use of te reo Mori and practices associated with

tikanga. Generally such review did not evaluate the outcomes of programmes and

practices for Mori children.

Teachers are reflective practitioners and self review is a well established practice.

However review has not specifically identified or evaluated improved outcomes for

Mori children. The supervisor/manager and assistant supervisor have recently

attended professional development focusing on partnerships with Mori whnau.

As a result, the teaching team has begun to discuss and reflect on what

whakawhanaungatanga means, how welcoming the centre is to Mori whnau and

how to build relationships with local iwi to help it make decisions about the

programme in relation to supporting Mori children and their families. Education

and care centre

In some services, umbrella associations or organisations responsible for governance

and management had developed policies and strategies that reflected the unique place

of Mori as tangata whenua and the principle of partnership inherent in

Te Tiriti o Waitangi. ERO found that many umbrella groups needed to work with

their services to implement the intent of these documents at individual service level.


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Questions to use in self review

How inclusive of the values and beliefs of the parents and whnau of Mori

children is our philosophy statement?

How can we include the parents and wh

nau of M

ori children in reviewing ourservices philosophy?

What evidence of our philosophy in practice do we have?

What is the quality and nature of the relationships in our service between

management, educators and the parents, whnau of Mori children?

How well does our vision and associated planning take account of the hopes and

aspirations the parents and whnau of Mori children have for their children?

What processes do we have to find out about their hopes and aspirations?

How do we communicate with the parents and whnau of Mori children?

How do we use our self review to evaluate what is working well for Mori

children and their whnau and to identify what we could do to improve our

practice?

Focusing on realising Mori childrens potential

What did ERO ask?

To what extent are early childhood services focusing on realising the potential of

Mori children to become competent and confident learners?

What did ERO find?

Many services were not implementing practices that supported Mori children as

learners. Figure 2 shows that only 16 percent of services in this evaluation were

highly focused on realising Mori childrens potential to become competent and

confident learners. Twenty-four percent did have a focus on this but had room for

improvement and sixty percent were beginning or not yet focused.


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Figure 2: Extent to which early childhood services focus on realising the potential of Mori

children to become competent and confident learners.

The services with 26 percent14

or more Mori children on their roll were more likely

to be focused on realising Mori childrens potential than those services with fewer

Mori children.15

Managers and educators in many services need to recognise the importance of

acknowledging Mori childrens cultural identity and heritage. Reflecting on, andquestioning, their practices in supporting Mori children to experience success as

learners is part of this challenge.

Early childhood services focused on realising Mori childrens potential through their:

bicultural curriculum;

teaching strategies;

assessment practices; and

partnerships for learning.

Each of these areas is discussed in relation to EROs findings, supported by examples

of practice in individual services. A rationale is given for each area, drawn from

relevant guiding Ministry of Education publications, in particular, Te Whriki: He

Whriki Matauranga m ng Mokopuna o Aotearoa (1996), Quality in Action: Te

Mahi Whai Hua (1998), and Kei Tua o te Pae Assessment for Learning: Early

14 Differences in ratings between the percentage of Mori children enrolled were checked for statistical

significance using a Kruskal-Wallis H test.

15 Appendix 3 for details about the percentage of Mori children enrolled in each service type.


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Childhood Exemplars (2005). Questions that could be used as a focus in self review

are included.

Bicultural curriculum

RationaleFor many Mori, quality curriculum implies:

the use of te reo;

an environment in which children connect culturally with people, places and the

past so that culture is visible and validated; and

approaches based on current theories of learning and development for Mori.

Quality in Action: Te Mahi Whai Hua. (p.64)

This is a curriculum for early childhood care and education in New Zealand. In early

childhood education settings, all children should be given the opportunity to developknowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both partners to

Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The curriculum reflects this partnership in text and structure.

Te Whriki. ( p.9)

The extent to which early childhood services provided a bicultural curriculum varied,

and few services genuinely acknowledged Mori perspectives through language and

culture. In highly focused services, practices were inclusive and respectful of Mori

values and beliefs. Te reo Mori was consistently used in conversations and evident

in the environment, in planning documents and in assessment records such aschildrens portfolios. Some services had educators who were confident in using te reo

Mori and modelled its use for others. Rituals and routines for children incorporated

tikanga Mori. Mori children confidently led karakia and waiata in many of these

services. Childrens ancestral connections were affirmed and their identity as Mori

acknowledged.

Teachers demonstrate a genuine commitment to including a Mori dimension in the

kindergarten programme and routines. Te reo Mori is naturally integrated and used

by children and teachers. Children are active participants in Mori protocols to

welcome visitors and on visits to local schools. They are also developing confidence

to say their own mihi for introducing themselves and greeting others. Priority has

been given to providing equipment and resources that acknowledge the unique place

of Mori in Aotearoa New Zealand. Mori children and whnau are confident that

their language and culture are valued, affirmed and respected by teachers, children

and other kindergarten families. Kindergarten

Care is taken to place Mori children in homes where their culture will be respected

and fostered. The visiting teacher in this network integrates aspects of te reo and

tikanga into her practice and works to empower caregivers to increase theirknowledge in these areas. Home-based service


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In services that were in the process of developing a Mori perspective in their

curriculum, educators were using some reo Mori and waiata as part of the

programme. Resources that portrayed Mori perspectives, such as puzzles and books,

were available to children. Some services were more deliberate about including te reoMori and cultural values as part of the curriculum. Many of these services had a

high reliance on individual educators awareness, commitment and understanding of

what it meant to implement a bicultural curriculum.

Staff are just beginning to think about ways that their practices can be specifically

responsive to Mori families. The centre director understands that this goes beyond

using te reo Mori and providing resources. Internal and external professional

development is planned for 2009. Education and care centre

In services not focused on supporting Mori children as learners, managers and

educators often did not have any understanding of te reo Mori and tikanga and did

not have a strong commitment to implementing a bicultural curriculum.

There is no evidence of Mori perspectives in assessment, planning or evaluation.

The centre has a few books and puzzles that provide a bicultural dimension to the

programme. The supervisor and parents have little understanding of Mori culture

and values. They acknowledge that this is an area that needs to improve for them to

encourage Mori families to their centre. This point is significant as this is the only

early childhood service in the area. Playcentre

The implementation of a strong bicultural curriculum relied on managers and

educators understanding and valuing te reo Mori and tikanga in the context of quality

early childhood education. Where services were highly focused on supporting Mori

children (and their whnau) the inclusion of a Mori perspective as an integral part of

the curriculum was crucial.

Teaching strategies

RationaleEducators can extend childrens thinking and introduce other world views by

integrating tikanga Mori into the curriculum. They can use te reo Mori, where

appropriate, and gain an understanding of Mori pedagogy in order to facilitate

young childrens learning.

Educators may need to identify appropriate strategies to support children who are

reluctant to participate in group activities. They may consider the approach of

Mori, who recognise that at times, it may not be appropriate to try to include

children whose behaviour indicates whakam

(shyness).Quality in Action: Te Mahi Whai Hua. (pp.29-30)


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Teaching strategies used by educators varied in how well they assisted Mori children

to become successful learners. A strong feature in the highly focused services was the

time educators invested in getting to know individual Mori children and their

wh

nau. Educators spent time building relationships with M

ori children (and theirwhnau) and being interested in their lives, not just while attending the service but

also as part of the community in which they lived.

Educators valued what children brought to their learning. They acknowledged

childrens prior experiences and had high expectations for them as learners. Services

embraced the concept of ako in their practice and worked from the premise that we

are all learners and teachers here. Educators recognised opportunities to foster

tuakana/teina relationships between older and younger children.

The teaching team is committed to recognising and respecting the values and beliefs

of Mori childrens parents and whnau. Respectful, trusting and inclusive

relationships have been developed where families discuss aspirations for their child.

Whnau members willingly share aspects of their culture to add richness to, and

ensure Mori perspectives are a part of, the planned topics children experience.

Practices teachers have incorporated in the daily programme to foster engagement

and potential for Mori children include: building a relationship with the local marae

and khanga reo; developing pride in, and awareness of the significance of, the

childs name; and using the mixed-age groupings to foster tuakana/teina relationships

for learning. Kindergarten

Educators followed Mori childrens interests. This often led to connections being

made with people in the wider community or visits to local marae or places of

significance for Mori in the local community. By focusing on these interests,

educators strengthened links with children and their whnau and promoted childrens

cultural identity in positive ways.

A recent trip to a local marae enabled some Mori children to experience their

culture in an authentic setting. Teachers responded positively to Mori childrens

interests in their culture and provided appropriate experiences to foster this. For

example a Mori child showed an interest in the haka so a variety of relevant

experiences were provided over a period of time enabling him to explore and develop

his knowledge about the haka in contexts other than rugby.

Education and care centre

A study of Mori artists arose from childrens interest in spirals. This led to a visit to

a marae, where children found koru in carvings, which had been pre-photographed

for this activity. Children have since followed this interest by looking at the meaning

of the koru shape and using many different media to design and display koru. They


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have found it in nature, and in ferns coming through their fence, and have been

encouraged to photograph these as part of their study. Education and care centre

In services less focused on supporting Mori children as learners, educators did not

use deliberate teaching strategies. M

ori children were viewed as the same as otherchildren and teaching strategies and learning experiences often failed to recognise

their identity or support them to learn in culturally meaningful and relevant contexts.

There is very limited evidence of practices that recognise or respond to parents and

whnau aspirations for Mori children or that support their cultural identity and

competence. Playcentre

Educators in services that were highly focused on supporting Mori children were

willing to step outside their comfort zone and take risks in their teaching. They

embraced te reo Mori, tikanga and values and strengthened their own knowledge and

skills through their relationships with whnau. The belief that Mori children needed

to walk confidently in both Mori and Pkeh worlds underpinned their teaching.

Mori children experienced a curriculum that was deeper than that written in

documented planning. They were immersed in an environment that acknowledged

their cultural identity and provided meaningful and relevant learning experiences.

Assessment practice

Rationale

In order to achieve bicultural assessment practices, it is essential that teachers share

a commitment to:

Kia whakamana ng ao e rua kia hono.

Honouring and respecting both worlds so that they come together in meaningful

relationships.

Kia whakamana ng rerektanga ki roto i tn o ttou.

Honouring and respecting the differences that each partner brings to the relationship.

Mai i tnei hononga ka tuwhera i ng ara whnui.

From this relationship, the pathway to development will open.

Kei Tua o te Pae Assessment for Learning: Early Childhood Exemplars. Bicultural

Assessment Book 3 (p.5).

Assessment practice varied widely across the services in this evaluation. In services

that were highly focused on supporting Mori children, assessment information

reflected the rich bicultural learning experiences of those children. In many, the

enrolment process involved sharing information between whnau and educators.

Discussions focused on whnau aspirations for their children, and on their

expectations of the service. The information shared gave educators a starting point to

document childrens learning, with many weaving whnau expectations throughnarrative assessments in profiles and portfolios. Many of the focused and highly


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focused services included, with parents agreement, childrens whakapapa in profiles

or portfolios.

Narrative assessments in Mori childrens profiles and portfolios included the use of

te reo M

ori and showed examples of their involvement in learning experiences thatcontributed to their identity as learners. These included whnau stories and

photographs of childrens involvement in their wider whnau and community and

were meaningful records of learning for educators, children and whnau.

The philosophy document states that culture and home practices are integral to

childrens identity and should be incorporated into the centre. Practices observed

showed that this philosophy intent is strongly evident in practice. Teachers use te reo

Mori naturally and confidently in their conversations with children and whnau.

Wall displays include many cues to support and encourage the use of te reo. Mori

terms and concepts are also carefully interwoven through planning and assessment

records. Teachers demonstrate sensitive affirmation of the language and culture of

Mori children and their whnau in narratives about childrens learning and

programme documents. Education and care centre

Teachers use Mori children's cultural context as the basis for assessments of their

learning. Children's profiles contain learning stories that incorporate their

family/whnau activities and celebrations. The profiles provide important links with

home/whnau and the value teachers place on Mori children's culture in the

learning programme. Kindergarten

In services beginning to look at their assessment practices for Mori children,

educators were finding ways to include Mori perspectives as part of the programme

and to have profiles or portfolios reflect childrens learning in meaningful contexts.

Some services had no link between documented assessment information and

childrens cultural heritage or whnau aspirations.

Some staff use a little reo Mori in the programme. The manager commented that

parents, including Mori parents, are involved in the assessment process, but there is

little evidence of te reo Mori, tikanga or aspirations in the childrens profile books.

Education and care

Assessment information provided a useful window for looking at how the curriculum

assisted Mori children to develop as competent and confident learners. Services

highly focused on supporting Mori children made visible the learning that

contributed to a strong sense of cultural identity for these children and their whnau.


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Partnerships for learning

Rationale

Educators can develop learning goals that acknowledge childrens heritages andsupport their understanding of their cultural identity. In doing so, they may draw on

Mori understandings of children as individuals within their whnau, hpu and iwi.

Management and educators can consult parents/whnau about the process to be used

when sharing information and making decisions regarding their children.

Quality in Action: Te Mahi Whai Hua. (pp. 31and 57)

Including families and whnau in the early childhood centres curriculum and

assessment enhances childrens learning. Families enrich the record of learning,

reduce some of the uncertainty and ambiguity, and provide a bridge for connectingexperiences.

Kei Tua o te Pae Assessment for Learning: Early Childhood Exemplars Book 5:

Assessment and Learning: Community. (p.118.)

The extent to which parents and whnau of Mori children were involved in genuine

partnerships with childrens learning as their focus varied across the services in this

evaluation. In the highly focused services, whnau of Mori children had strong

relationships with educators and were actively involved in many aspects of the

curriculum. Through their relationships, educators built rapport with whnau and got

to know their interests and talents.

Mori childrens profiles or portfolios were inclusive of parents and whnau and

meaningful for them and their children. Their voices were sought and highly visible

in records of childrens learning and, in a few services, planning documents. Whnau

were involved in setting goals and in discussions about their childs progress.

Opportunities for celebrations, such as observing Matariki, created opportunities for

whnau to lead weaving, gardening and poi making activities.

The current focus in the Playcentre is cultivating kai. The centre has celebratedMatariki to acknowledge the new beginnings in terms of planting and as a centre with

new management and a new group of parents. They share kai from home and share

the fruits of their gardens. Learning profiles encourage parents to identify and talk

about their aspirations for their children. The Mori parent at this centre is keen to

attend a Mori language course so that she can teach her children and share her

learning with parents at the centre. Parents were enthusiastic about her plans to

introduce more reo during sessions. Playcentre

Services beginning to seek greater wh

nau input and involvement gave priority todeveloping relationships and making profiles or portfolios available for Mori


27/41



children and their whnau to read and share. Educators found ways to involve

whnau in their childs learning and to seek meaningful contributions from them.

The teaching team is very committed to supporting Mori children, in partnership

with wh

nau, to become successful learners and potentially high achievers.Ka Hikitia inspired the centre manager to survey parents of Mori children to identify

ways in which the team could work in partnership with them to improve their

childrens educational and cultural experiences at the centre. The team has since

implemented a plan to improve learning opportunities for Mori children by

incorporating te reo and tikanga Mori in the programme and increasing

participation of Mori parents in the programme. The result is a learning

programme that assists Mori learners to experience success. Education and care

centre

However, some services provided very limited opportunities for whnau involvement

or contribution. Often involvement was not valued or practices were implemented for

all with no consideration given to working with Mori whnau. Some services started

out with good intentions to work with whnau at the time of enrolment, but did not

maintain momentum, and the potential for building fruitful partnerships was lost.

Through genuine whnau engagement, services developed partnerships that supported

childrens learning. Underpinning such partnerships were relationships based on

mutual respect and reciprocity.

Questions to use in self review

In what ways is our curriculum bicultural? How are Mori perspectives, te reo

Mori, tikanga and values included in the programme?

What Mori perspectives, te reo Mori, tikanga and values should we include in

the programme?

What teaching strategies do our educators use to engage Mori children in

learning and support them in becoming competent and confident learners?

How well do our assessment practices notice, recognise and respond to the

strengths, interests and needs of Mori children who attend our service?

How genuine are our partnerships with whnau of Mori children? What do we

know about the impact of these partnerships?


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Variability according to service type

This evaluation found significant variation16

between service types in the extent to

which they:

were identifying and responding to aspirations and expectations of the parents and

whnau of Mori children; and

focused on realising the potential of Mori children to become competent and

confident learners.

Casual education and care services were not included in this statistical analysis

because of their small number in this study.

Kindergartens were more likely than other service types to be responsive to the

aspirations and expectations of the parents and whnau of Mori children. A quarterof the kindergartens were highly responsive by:

being explicit in the statement of philosophy about a commitment to working in

partnership with parents and whnau of Mori children;

carrying this commitment into long and short term planning; and

developing reciprocal and trusting relationships with parents and whnau and, in

some kindergartens, with local iwi and neighbouring schools.

Figure 3: Extent to which early childhood services identified and responded to the aspirations

and expectations of the parents and whnau of Mori children by service type.

16 Differences in ratings between the types of services were checked for statistical significance using a

Kruskal-Wallis H test. The differences in ratings between pairs of service types were checked for

statistical significance using a Mann Whitney U test.


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Kindergartens were also more likely than other types of services to place a high focus

on realising Mori childrens potential to become competent and capable learners.

Nearly a third were found to be in this category. In these kindergartens, practices

included:

integrating bicultural perspectives in assessment and planning processes; opportunities for whnau involvement in projects and events that acknowledge

Mori values and beliefs;

a genuine commitment to integrating te reo Mori and tikanga as part of teaching

and learning; and

documenting Mori childrens learning in ways that affirmed their cultural

identity.

Figure 4: Extent to which early childhood services focus on realising the potential of Mori

children to become competent and confident learners, by service type.

As well as the variation between service types, ERO found variation within service

type as shown in Figure 3.

Improving provision for Mori children in early childhood

services

In recent years there has been much emphasis in the early childhood sector on

increasing the participation of Mori children, with a caveat that this be in good

quality early childhood services. This evaluation highlights the need for services to

focus on Mori children as successful learners and to work in partnership with their

parents and whnau to realise their hopes and aspirations.

What did services need to do to improve?

In 62 percent of services, ERO made specific recommendations for improvingprovision for Mori children. As shown in Figure 5, just over a quarter of the


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recommendations were about improving consultation and communication with

parents, whnau and the wider community, including iwi. Services needed to develop

consultation processes that enabled them to identify the aspirations and expectations

of parents and whnau of Mori children. Establishing responsive and respectful

relationships with parents and wh

nau should enable regular sharing of information.

Figure 5: Focus of recommendations

Twenty-two percent of the recommendations were related to self review, in particular

services needing to:

review the extent to which policies, procedures and practices reflected the values

and aspirations of the parents and whnau of Mori children;

align the services values and beliefs with those of the parents and whnau of

Mori children;

determine the impact of the programme for Mori children; and

investigate the links between childrens learning and parents and whnau

aspirations.

As noted earlier in this report, most services did not include a focus on how they

provided for Mori children as part of their self review, and those that did were

largely interested in the bicultural aspects of their programme or curriculum.

A fifth of the recommendations were about managers and educators undertaking

professional development to increase their understanding of how to support Mori

children in achieving success. For educators this was particularly about looking at

improving the quality of their relationship and interaction with Mori children, and

including a more bicultural perspective in the programme. Many recommendations

highlighted the need for educators to build their confidence in using te reo Mori andto learn more about tikanga Mori. A few recommendations focused on managers


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and educators undertaking professional development to increase their knowledge of

Ka Hikitia.

Eleven percent were about services needing to develop strategies to help Mori

children achieve success. Recommendations included the need for services todevelop a vision that reflected parents aspirations for their children, to plan in the

short and long term to respond to these aspirations and to gather evidence that shows

the impact of planned strategies.

Eight percent of the recommendations were about the need for services guiding

documents such as plans, policies and procedures include a commitment to working

with Mori children and their parents and whnau. A smaller percentage focused on

extending bicultural practices in the programme (six percent) and using assessment

information to plan for Mori children in ways that built on the cultural knowledge

they brought to the service (six percent).

A challenge for some early childhood services was to make a genuine commitment to

improving their provision for Mori children. To do this they needed to find out

about parents aspirations and expectations, and acknowledge and respond to these in

authentic ways. A first step for many was to look at their current processes for

consulting and communicating with the parents and whnau of Mori children and to

review how well these processes were working.


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Conclusion

The summary document for Ka Hikitia, (2009), notes that the system must fit thestudent rather than the student fitting the system. Such an approach requires

students, educators, families, whnau, iwi, communities and government to work

together in partnership and learn from each other. This evaluation highlights the

need for managers and educators in early childhood services to think about what this

means for their work with Mori children and their whnau. While some services are

highly responsive and focused, many still have some way to go to be both responsive

to the aspirations and expectations of whnau for their children and in assisting them

to enjoy educational success as Mori.

Te Whriki:He Whriki Matauranga m ng Mokopuna o Aotearoa, sets a strong

foundation and expectation that (mainstream) early childhood services implement a

bicultural curriculum that embodies the language, culture and values of both Mori

and Pkeh. While most services incorporate a degree of te reo Mori and include

some practices consistent with tikanga Mori, incorporating Mori perspectives in

planning, assessment and evaluation processes remains a challenge for many.

Not all services have educators who are competent in te reo Mori or managers and

educators who understand and acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Mori cultural

values and who can work in partnership with whnau and the wider Mori communityto provide high quality education for Mori children.

This evaluation highlights the need for ongoing professional development by

providers who are clear about the importance of responsiveness to Mori. It is

important that they understand their responsibilities in increasing the skills of

managers and educators to enable them to work in partnership with Mori children

and their whnau.

Ng Haeata Mtauranga- Annual Report on Mori Education 2007/0817

refers to

research18

that shows 44 percent of parents of Mori children rated as important or

extremely important the availability of culturally appropriate services in deciding to

participate in early childhood education. With increasing numbers of Mori children

attending mainstream services, and the focus on increasing Mori childrens

17 Ministry of Education. (2009). Ng Haeata Mtauranga Annual Report on Mori Education

2007/08. Wellington. Ministry of Education.

Available at :http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/Mori_education/585118

Robertson, J. (2007). Parent Decision-making in relation to the use of early childhood services.Report to the Ministry of Education. Wellington: Ministry of Education.


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participation, priority needs to be given to helping managers and educators to provide

programmes that promote childrens cultural identity.

This evaluation sets some challenges for the sector in building the capabilities of

managers and educators to: implement and evaluate a bicultural curriculum that reflects and acknowledges

Mori values and beliefs;

work in partnership with whnau of Mori children; and

support Mori children to develop strong learning foundations that give them the

best start possible.

Recommendations

ERO recommends that early childhood services:

develop or review their processes for consulting and communicating with theparents and whnau of Mori children so they can be more responsive to their

aspirations and expectations;

consider how effectively they integrate Mori perspectives in planning,

assessment and evaluation processes;

provide professional development and development support for managers and

educators to increase their ability to work in partnership with the parents and

whnau of Mori children at their service; and

strengthen self review to enable robust evaluation of the impact of learning

programmes for Mori children.

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education funded professional development

includes a focus on supporting early childhood services to be responsive to Mori

children and their whnau.


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Appendix 1: Questions to use in self review

How inclusive of the values and beliefs of the parents and whnau of Mori

children is our philosophy statement? How can we include the parents and whnau of Mori children in reviewing our

services philosophy?

What evidence of our philosophy in practice do we have?

What is the quality and nature of the relationships in our service between

management, educators and the parents, whnau of Mori children?

How well does our vision and associated planning take account of the hopes and

aspirations the parents and wh

nau of M

ori children have for their children? What processes do we have to find out about their hopes and aspirations?

How do we communicate with the parents and whnau of Mori children?

How do we use our self review to evaluate what is working well for Mori

children and their whnau and identify what we could do to improve our practice?

In what ways is our curriculum bicultural? How are Mori perspectives,

te reo Mori, tikanga and values included in the programme?

What Mori perspectives, te reo M

ori, tikanga and values should we include in

the programme?

What teaching strategies do our educators use to engage Mori children in

learning and support them to become competent and capable learners?

How well do our assessment practices notice, recognise and respond to the

strengths, interests and needs of Mori children who attend our service?

How genuine are our partnerships with whnau of Mori children? What do we

know about the impact of these partnerships?


35/41


36/41



Appendix 3: Percentage of Mori children enrolled insample of early childhood services

Figure 6: Percentage of Mori children enrolled in sample of early childhood services

by service type

Figure 6 shows that kindergartens had more Mori children in the 11-25 percent,

26-50 percent and 50-100 percent groupings than other service types. Seventeen

percent of the Playcentres had no Mori children enrolled and 44 percent of theeducation and care services had ten percent or fewer Mori children on the roll.


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Appendix 4: Glossary

Te Reo Mori English meaning

Ako Both children and adults are learners and teachers

Haka Mori ceremonial dance

Hap Subtribe, kinship group

Hui forum for discussion which is underpinned by Mori values

Iwi Wider kinship group

Kai Food, to eat

Karakia Prayer, grace, incantations

Kaumtua Adult elder (usually male)

Kuia Adult elder (female)

Manaakitanga kindness, caring

Marae Tribal gathering place where ceremonial events are held and

issues are debated

Matariki Signals the Mori New Year (first appearance of Pleiades)

Pkeh New Zealander of European descent

Tangata whenua People of the land, local people

Te Ao Mori The Mori world

Te reo Mori Mori language

Te Tiriti o Waitangi Treaty of Waitangi

Tikanga Customary practices

Tuakana teina Mentoring relationship

Waiata Song(s)

Whakapapa Genealogy


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Whakawhanaungatanga Creating relationships, sense of family

Whnau Nuclear or extended family

Whanaungatanga Relationships, sense of family


39/41



Appendix 5: Report feedback form

Success for M

ori children in early childhood services

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